SanDisk flips out 32GB mobile phone card

SanDisk has announced a 32GB Micro SDHC Flash memory card for mobile phones.

The company claims it's the highest capacity available in the format and says it's built using a 3-bit multi-layer cell flash technology based on a 32nm process. The Micro SDHC format measures 15 x 11 x 1mm, making a dud card a possible nail extension for complete mobile phone fashion victims.

SanDisk didn't reveal the speed of the card but class 6 or 8 seem possible, meaning 6MB/sec or 8MB/sec speeds.

The company has four-bit MLC technology, implying that it could increase the card's capacity by a third in the future. SanDisk and Toshiba are said to be moving to a sub-30nm process later this year so we might expect a 64GB card next year, through a combination of process shrinkage and an extra bit per flash cell.

The card doubles the 16GB product SanDisk announced about a year ago and costs a whopping four times as much as generally available 16GB mobile phone flash cards available now. They can be had for around $50 but SanDisk want you to part with $200 (£133) for the 32GB product, about $6.25/GB.